Hope, Healing, and Restoration—A Birth Mother's Story

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Kendra started using methamphetamines about 8 years ago when her grandmother passed away and her mother kicked her out of her home. "After I had my son, Christon," she remembered, "a traffic stop revealed meth in my car, and I lost him to foster care. When I had Christon's younger brother, Jaden, he was immediately placed in care. Because of this, there was a point they didn't know who I was, and as an addict, I felt hopeless and the hopelessness made me start using more." 

Kendra had just about given up hope for getting her sons back when she met the boys' foster parents, Heather and Tyler. "Heather told me, 'I can give the boys a lot of things, but I can't be their biological mom.' That's when I knew I had to fight, and I started treatment," Kendra recalled. "Heather and Tyler invited me to attend their church. I was scared at first that they would judge me, but they welcomed me, and I kept going. I put my faith in God and got baptized a year ago in February." 

Heather and Tyler's church, Four Points Church in Acworth, GA, is a partner of FaithBridge Foster Care, a Georgia child-placing agency. It provided a community of support for Kendra and her sons. "All of our foster families got to know her and supported her," says Heather. "We grew in relationship in such a great way that we moved 30 miles to be a part of Kendra's day-to-day life. Now we live 5 minutes away so that we can be there to support [her] and just be family."

Kendra is now on a path to success. "I got a job, and for the first time, I am actually stable. I'm making a little progress, but a little over a year ago I was on the street. If I keep going, I have a chance to become a manager."

Today, Kendra's boys are back with her, and Heather and Tyler stay connected. "They are such a big part of my life and continue to support me and the boys," says Kendra. "I don't know what I'd do without them." Even better, her boys know who Kendra is. "I didn't have hope before," Kendra explained. "Now I have hope, and both of my sons are home. When they call me mommy, sometimes I cry because there was a time that might not have happened. It's the best feeling to get to be their mom, like I should have been."

To learn more about FaithBridge Foster Care, visit https://www.faithbridgefostercare.org.

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